1. Why you need an Air Conditioning Specialist?

Just because someone sells air conditioning does not make them a specialist. When you decide to air condition your home, your comfort is at stake and so is your investment.

If you are buying your air conditioning needs from a company who also sell toasters, DVD's etc, it is unlikely you are getting an Air Conditioning Specialist.

Therefore, it is important to find an Air Conditioning Specialist to help you choose the right air conditioning system for you and your family's requirements.

Most companies can give you a quote to do the job, but if they are not doing domestic work day in and day out you could be in for problems like:

They treat your home like a construction site.

They do not use drop sheets to cover your furniture, and they leave rubbish behind for you to clean up.

Poor communication - they do not let you know how things are going to be installed and where. You could end up with things in the wrong place and even be left with no instructions on how to operate the system properly.

Lack of respect for your time.

They turn up late and take too long to install the system.

2. Getting the right size Air Conditioning system

An Air Conditioning Specialist we will be able to determine the correct type and size of the system required for your home to maintain comfort all year round.

Selecting the correct capacity system to suit your home is a critical step. Many factors determine the size of the system required, such as roof insulation, room size and usage, window size and position, to name a few.

If you get the wrong size system you could experience:

increased running costs.

not reaching the desired temperature.

a system that is too noisy.

You need a system that is designed to suit your home, and also 'how you live' in your home. You not only need to consider what areas of your home need to be air conditioned, but also how many areas you want to have air conditioned at the same time.

3. Choosing a brand of Air Conditioner

Daikin - Fujitsu - LG - Mitsubishi - Hitachi

Not only is there an expertise required in choosing the correct type and size of air conditioner, you also need to consider the manufacturer of the system. The brands that are available on the market today can vary quite dramatically, and you need one that is proven and robust enough to handle Australian conditions.

There are some manufactures that gather components from all different companies and mix them together to create the system. If your new air conditioning system is made up from inferior or mixed products, this can lead to reduced performance. Your Air Conditioning Specialist will only have the best brands on offer from reputable, long-standing manufacturers.

Think about how you live in your home and what areas of your home the system needs to heat and cool.

Ask your Air Conditioning Specialist if they have their own service division.

Ask if the manufacturers have offices around Australia.

4. Efficiency = Running Costs of your Air Conditioning

There are many variables that will affect how much your system will cost to run such as size, brand, temperature to be maintained, energy rating and the compressor type. The compressor is the component on an air conditioning system that does most of the work and so consumes most of the power. Compressors come in both inverter and non-inverter technology.

Non-inverter air conditioning operates at a fixed speed delivering a fixed amount of cooling and heating. Whilst trying to maintain a set temperature, they operate on a stop/start principal. Inverter technology operates differently. It works like the accelerator of a car, gently increasing or decreasing power.

The most efficient air conditioning systems on the market today use inverter style compressors. Choosing an inverter air conditioner means uninterrupted comfort with significant energy savings and it saves you money.

Make sure your Air Conditioning Specialist supplies, and helps you choose, the most energy efficient system to meet your needs.

Ask them to explain some expected running costs.

Ask them the best way to operate your air conditioner to minimise running costs.

5. Your electrical wiring for your Air Conditioning

Another very important and commonly overlooked matter (especially in an older home) is the power requirements your home needs to run your new air conditioning system. In most instances the power supply to your home will be fine. In other instances you may require an upgrade or reconfiguration of the existing set up.

The amount of power an air conditioning system consumes will depend on the type and size of the system and if your existing power supply is not adequate you could experience problems like overloaded consumer mains. This means there is too much power going through your cables and they could heat up and can cause a fire.

Overloaded consumer mains are dangerous and illegal.

6. Trained Installers of Air Conditioning

If the installation team are not trained properly you could again encounter problems like holes cut incorrectly or even in the wrong position, and in the worst case, damage to your ceiling or walls.

A good Air Conditioning Specialist has up-to-date, in-house training for their team members from the installation and maintenance team right through to their office administration team. All installation members will follow a proven procedure manual and completion checklist to ensure every job runs smoothly to the satisfaction of the customer. The benefit of all this to you is the peace of mind that you are in good hands.

All Air Conditioning Companies are required by law to have the following insurances in place before work can commence on your home otherwise you may be liable for any injuries incurred on your premises.

Public Liability covers you, your family members, or members of the public who could be injured as a result of the work;

Workers Compensation protects the companies' employees against injury while working on your installation; and

A Certificate of Currency to prove it.

7. After sales service & warranty for your Air Conditioning when you need it

Sometimes things can go wrong with air conditioning systems and it just may be when you need it the most. Therefore you need an Air Conditioning Specialist and a reputable manufacturer who will be there for you long after the sale has been made.

A good Air Conditioning Specialist will have a separate service division from their installation division and will provide the backup service and warranty to cover both the air conditioning system and their own after sales workmanship. They will also be able to access genuine spare parts when they need to.

A good air conditioning manufacturer is one with a spare parts division in Australian or even New South Wales. This will make a big difference in peak times to how effectively and quickly your Air Conditioning Specialist can help you.

Tozer Air Conditioning have offices in Newcastle and Central Coast. We also service Maitland, Singleton, Hunter Valley and Port Stephens. Call on 02 4951 4522 or contact us.